Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The council rejected new rules to prevent late-night council sessions, voting down the proposal 4-3. Boozé, Beckles, Bates, and Butt voted against the changes, while McLaughlin, Myrick, and Rogers supported limiting meeting lengths to help council members focus on decisions.

The council approved mid-year budget adjustments for fiscal year 2013-14, with only Boozé voting no in a 6-1 decision. The adjustments update the current budget based on actual income and expenses halfway through the budget year.

A development term sheet for the Terminal One site project was approved unanimously. Terminal 1 Development presented their concept to build on the site, and the term sheet outlines the basic agreement between the developer and city before moving forward.

The council unanimously adopted a resolution opposing crude oil transport by rail through Richmond. The resolution addresses safety risks that crude oil trains pose to residential neighborhoods along major rail lines.

Discussion of requiring Chevron to hire a full-time safety engineer at the Richmond refinery was continued to a future meeting. The council also postponed receiving a report on pension and retirement benefits for city retirees.